


Warmth

by notmyyacht



Category: Henry IV Part 1 - Shakespeare, SHAKESPEARE William - Works, The Hollow Crown (2012)
Genre: Blizzards & Snowstorms, Cuddling & Snuggling, First Time, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Pre-Canon, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Bed, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 21:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13086042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notmyyacht/pseuds/notmyyacht
Summary: Stuck at the Boar's Head Inn during a snowstorm, Hal and Poins make good use of their time.





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> For day seven of the 12 Days of Holiday Shipping Challenge! Prompt: Snowed In
> 
> Completely unbeta'd! Any and all mistakes are on me. My first time writing for this ship or for any Shakespeare work. Please be gentle and I hope you like it <3

There was a chill in the air when Hal had left for the Boar’s Head Inn earlier that day. The sky was clouded over and the air smelled fresh and crisp. By the time he reached the tavern, it was already beginning to snow.

Hours passed filled with playful drunken antics. Songs were sung, people danced and shouted. Everyone was happy to be there. Another night as always.

The snow did not stop. It was already past the midnight chimes and still it did not let up. The Boar’s Head grew more and more quiet as another hour flew by. Many wanted to get home before the streets became impassable.

“It’s only going to get worse,” said Mistress Quickly. But returning to the castle wasn’t an option anymore. It was far too bitter out and a drunk Prince Hal was already having trouble getting to his feet. Walking home or riding a horse back was out of the question.

Hal felt Poins put an arm around him.

“He can stay in my room, Hostess,” said Poins.

Mistress Quickly nodded and watched as Poins struggled to guide Hal away from the table.

“Come, my lord,” he said, “We have quite outdone ourselves tonight.”

“Thhhank you Ned,” Hal slurred, attempting to work his feet as they struggled up the stairs.

It wasn’t the first time Hal had slept in Poins’ bed. More than once he had slept over whether it was because he was too drunk or because he just didn’t feel like returning home for the night. In fact, this was starting to become a habit. More than once Mistress Quickly had suggested he get a room for himself.  

Hal collapsed on his back on the bed, his head swimming. He really _had_ outdone himself, more than usual. Perhaps it was the storm. His stomach churned and he turned on his side. Poins had a bucket ready for him and Hal made quick work emptying his stomach into it.

The room spun and with his dinner all but expelled from his body, Hal turned to his other side, away from the room and closed his eyes. He didn’t fall asleep right away. Behind him he could hear Poins moving about, disposing of the bucket and closing the door so that it was all quiet in the tiny room.

Hal felt a tug on his feet. He stretched out his legs, allowing for Poins to remove his boots for him and place them beside the bed.

The bed dipped and Hal could feel Poins’ back pressed up against his. This bed wasn’t built for two, but neither seemed to mind the closeness. The first time Hal had spent the night in Poins’ room, Poins had slept on the floor and let Hal take up the whole bed. The second time Hal insisted that he shouldn’t be pushing a man out of his own bed; they’ve shared ever since.

The bed might have been small, but Poins was blessed to have an oversized blanket that covered the both of them. Poins drew the blanket up to Hal’s chin. As comfortable as they’ll ever be, he leaned over and blew out the candle.

 

The snow had continued into the morning and it was still going when Hal and Poins awoke at noon. Mistress Quickly was a good hostess though and had bowls of hot porridge waiting for them downstairs.

The remainder of the day passed fairly rapidly. It was only Mistress Quickly, Hal, Poins, Doll, and Falstaff in company, but that’s all they needed to entertain themselves. Mistress Quickly considered the tavern open, but they were never joined by anyone else. She stoked the fire and offered a free round of drinks. Only Falstaff accepted.

Outside the wind howled and the snow piled up. The streets were all but deserted as those who could bundled up as much as they could in their homes.

Hal still felt exhausted and his headache hadn’t gone away. Off in the corner Doll, Mistress Quickly, and Falstaff had occupied themselves with a game of cards. On the opposite end of Hal’s table sat Poins with his head resting on his fist. He glanced back at him, reading his mind. They were both bored as hell.

Hal knew that Poins was broke now so playing cards with the rest of the group was out of the question for him. Hal simply didn’t feel like playing. All he wanted was to return to bed and sleep the rest of the day away. He stood to do exactly that.

Halfway up the stairs he realized Poins was following him. He said nothing but continued to the room. Behind them, they could hear Doll exclaim in victory.

Once in the room, Poins closed the door. Hal sat on the edge of the bed and removed his boots.

“This headache is unrelenting,” said Poins, placing the palm of his hand against his forehead.

Sometimes it really struck Hal just how similar the two of them were. How in-time they were. It was no wonder they had got on so quickly when Hal had begun spending his time in Eastcheap. Hal didn’t like to think of the time when he would no longer have Poins by his side. Something about that felt empty. He pushed his thoughts aside and slid under the covers.

Both back in the bed, they lay there, side-by-side. Hal closed his eyes and counted his breaths, waiting for the hungover exhaustion to take him back. He listened as he breathed in and out. The wind rattled the window shutters, breaking his concentration. He opened his eyes in surprise. But the breath he was counting didn’t stutter.

Oh. That wasn’t _his_ breath, but Poins’. He looked over at his bedfellow. Poins was out like a light. His chest steadily rose and fell. He seemed at peace.

Hal felt his cheeks grow warm. He blinked. This wasn’t a new feeling he had around Poins, but in the past he always attributed it to the ale. Hal was hungover now, hungover but sober.  He turned on his side, facing Poins, and closed his eyes.

 

It was still light out when the wind grew so strong that it slammed open one of the shutters, awakening the two on the bed with a start. Poins yelped and jolted upright.

“What was…?” Hal mumbled.

“Just the shutter,” said Poins, his gaze not on the window, but on the arm draped over his middle. He followed it back to its owner. Hal looked just as puzzled at it being there as Poins. He drew it back. Both were suddenly aware of how cold the room was.

Without a word, Poins went over to the window and fastened the shutter closed. When he turned, Hal was sitting up with his body tensed from the chill. Poins hurried back to the bed and slipped under the blanket with Hal.

They both lay back down. Hal’s brow furrowed slightly as he slowly brought his arm back to its previous position. Poins didn’t argue, but rather placed his own hand on top of Hal’s, silently urging him to get closer. A smirk played at the corner of Hal’s mouth and he slipped both arms around Poins; their faces less than an inch away from each other.

Hal could now feel warm Poins’ breath on his face. How he wanted to disappear into that warmth. Poins leaned in slightly, their lips ghosting against each other. Hal sighed and pressed forward to fill the remaining space. They broke for a moment to look each other in the eye.

Yes, this was happening. _At last._

They came together again, it was rough and sloppy, but neither cared. Poins brought a hand up to tangle in Hal’s hair and pull him closer, if it were even possible.

Piece-by-piece, articles of clothing were discarded and thrown to the side. Finally, they could touch each other skin-to-skin. Any semblance of class or identity seemed to vanish. All that was left were Hal and Poins and their need to stave away the cold and keep each other close.

When it was over, when the sweat began to cool on their bodies and they could catch their breaths, they held each other. Poins wrapped his arms around him, as Hal rested his head on his shoulder. They both chuckled softly before they slipped back into the warm embrace of sleep.

It would be another hour before the storm would finally end.


End file.
